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This paper explores the crucial role of media literacy in countering disinformation within the context of modern liberal democracies. As the digital landscape evolves, disinformation – both intentional and unintentional – poses significant challenges to democratic processes, public health, national security, and social cohesion. The study emphasizes that media literacy is not merely an educational tool, but a vital defense mechanism, equipping citizens with the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate a complex information environment. By analyzing European Union initiatives, such as the European Democracy Action Plan and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the paper highlights the importance of promoting and integrating media literacy across all societal sectors. The research concludes that media literacy is essential for fostering informed, active participation in democracy and ensuring resilience against increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns, including those powered by artificial intelligence.

The phenomenon of misinformation has become a global challenge that impacts democratic systems, fosters citizen distrust of the media, and can also be used as a tool to promote and spread hate speech against different groups. Various studies have shown how this misinformation is used to perpetuate negative stereotypes and fuel hostility toward certain ethnic, religious, or social groups, such as migrants and refugees. This research focuses on the disinformation about migrants and refugees detected by the Spanish fact-checking platforms Newtral, Maldita, and Verificat. It utilizes a content analysis method to examine 570 checks from January 2017 to May 2023. The objective is to detect the main types of information disorders affecting migration, their preferred formats, the agents involved, and the main characteristics and themes these hoaxes feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This viewpoint presents an overview of the theoretical developments and main research lines in the areas of disinformation, fact-checking and civic responsibility. To that end, it analyses the academic response to this issue in order to consider the primary trends and map out these questions in general terms. Three areas for future research are identified: proposals to achieve territorial, social and economic cohesion to fight this threat; exploratory studies into the new state of information and media literacy; the development of artificial intelligence systems that are free of bias to assist journalists in the early detection of disinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Akademik Hassasiyetler is the property of Huzeyfe Suleyman Arslan and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

YouTube is a web-based video platform that enables users to publish, watch, distribute, and provide feedback on videos. It produces more than 500 hours of video content per minute and garners over two billion views monthly. Like other emerging media platforms, YouTube contains a substantial amount of erroneous and deceptive content. Posting deceptive content on YouTube has negative consequences. This study examines the factors that influence the audience's exposure to content containing misinformation and focuses on understanding how misinformation spreads in YouTube content. The Conceptual Framework of Information Disorder, developed by Laire Wardle, examines information disorder consumption, interpretation, and intention in YouTube videos. To gain a comprehensive understanding, this framework uses variables such as elements, categories, and stages of information disorder. Additionally, sentiment analysis examines the material's impact on the interpreter and the content's distribution by scrutinizing the comments on the content. The researcher used Laire Wardle Customers' Six Cognitive Biases to assess users' trustworthiness regarding the message or source, resulting in an overwhelming flood of disorganized data. The researcher selected five regional YouTube channels with over one million subscribers and used one of the most-watched videos as a sample. This study concludes that all of those selected videos actively disseminate misinformation or manipulate information for personal gain, resulting in an information disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, a revolutionary transformation has substantially altered the way people access information. Online social media platforms have become a significant facet of our daily lives. The intersection of political discourse with the proliferation of what is commonly termed as "fake news" on these platforms has given rise to an environment that does not necessarily foster independent and critical thinking, thereby posing substantial risks to individuals, industries, and governments. While Facebook has implemented novel strategies to counteract this challenge, their efficacy remains questionable. Drawing from an analysis of fact-checking activities conducted during two Brazilian elections, this study aims to illuminate the key areas of focus within corrective information and assess its impact on Facebook. Our examination also highlights our critique of the lack of standardized measures, utilizing Meta's tool (CrowdTangle) for this qualitative study. Ultimately, our study concludes by offering insights into potential policy alternatives that could be adopted to address this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As online resources such as social media are increasingly used in disaster situations, confusion caused by the spread of false information, misinformation, and hoaxes has become an issue. Although a large amount of research has been conducted on how to suppress disinformation, i.e., the widespread dissemination of such false information, most of the research from a revenue perspective has been based on prisoner's dilemma experiments, and there has been no analysis of measures to deal with the actual occurrence of disinformation on disaster SNSs. In this paper, we focus on the fact that one of the characteristics of disaster SNS information is that it allows citizens to confirm the reality of a disaster. Hereafter, we refer to this as collective debunking, and we propose a profit-agent model for it and conduct an analysis using an evolutionary game. As a result, we experimentally found that deception in the confirmation of disaster information uploaded to SNS is likely to lead to the occurrence of disinformation. We also found that if this deception can be detected and punished, for example by patrols, it tends to suppress the occurrence of disinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have shown the effect of information activism and microinterventions, such as I Am Here International, the Elves and #NAFO to combat information disorder and hate online. Nevertheless, microinterventions have yet to be conceptualised in promoting media and information literacy (MIL) and informational resilience. This study positions microinterventions as information activism tools and empirically tests microinterventions in the context of higher education. Using an action research approach at a university MIL training course, we aim to understand what types of information activism are used and how the collective interventions affected the participants' MIL-s. We construct a typology of information activism roles and corresponding study tasks: the Worker Bees (focused on microprotections), the Meerkats (microaffirmations) and Lions (microchallenges). These different types surfaced in each participant over a cycle of exhaustion, disappointment, group support, feedback and encouragement that we dubbed the phoenixing cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores fact-checking practices in Ethiopia and Mali in times of conflict and in a context marked by increasing restrictions to press freedom. The objective is to understand how, in this hostile environment, fact-checkers in these two countries manage to carry out their activities. Our findings reveal that fact-checkers are often victims of online bullying and harassment and fear reprisal from governments. This pushes them to self-censor, avoiding working on sensitive topics, such as military issues in Mali. In addition, fact-checking organizations in both countries highlight the difficulty of accessing reliable sources. Consequently, they focus more on debunking viral social media content, thus effectively becoming content moderators who have turned away from the mission of holding leaders accountable, one of the primary functions of fact-checking. Regarding their role conception, fact-checkers in Ethiopia and Mali see themselves more as guides helping navigate the information disorder than “guardians of truth” or “truth keepers.”

This paper aims to investigate how Italian audiences received and perceived data-driven television news during the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, the logic and practices of creating and consuming television journalism were disrupted by the pandemic emergency. The paper presents the results of research carried out as part of a wider project titled “The Social Effects of Fake News” which was conducted from 2018 to 2022 within the CoRiS department of Sapienza University of Rome. The research project was reshaped in 2020, to understand the effects of what has been called “information disorder” in the areas of health, medicine, and science at a time when, together with the pandemic, an “infodemic” also emerged.1 We use Wardle and Derakhshan’s notion of “information disorder” as presented in their Council of Europe report.2 The results of the survey research we conducted show a surprising paradox. We found an interesting pattern of receiving and using information content based on data, in which users trust those who produce and validate certain data and at the same time do not believe that same data. This pattern of use indicates a particular approach to dealing with news among the Italian public. We have labelled it “know-it-all.” This article aims to deepen the understanding of this paradox of trust in experts but not in the data they deliver and how journalistic practice should deal with this conundrum.

In principle, liberal democracy is about an equal right to decision-making and presumes a public sphere, equally open to all. However, in practice, this normative ideal, articulated, among others, by Jürgen Habermas and John Dewey, is farther away today than ever since WWII. The "real" public sphere, distinguished from its ideal, is harmed by conflicting and divisive interests, often presenting themselves in the form of information campaigns targeting the most vulnerable groups of society. The information offered is often labelled as disinformation, i.e. information that is misleading or purposefully false. However, this article claims that we must distinguish between different uses of the concept of disinformation. Although disinformation campaigns are increasingly harmful for democracy, the label of disinformation can be used to silence necessary critical voices and movements in society, thus promoting a public sphere based on a forced consensus. This article focuses on current European developments, although there are references to the developments in other continents as well. It is based on a review of recent research publications and public policy documents about different aspects of disinformation and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms are fertile ground for spreading problematic information. This paper explored Library and Information Science (LIS) students' understanding of problematic information, i.e. misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, fake news, rumor, etc. associated with their ability to categorize these. This paper showed the relation between what students think they know and what they actually know in regard to recognizing mis-dis-mal-information. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire among LIS students of all public universities in Bangladesh, and 426 usable responses get backed. For analyzing the data, SPSS was used to carry out the descriptive analysis, Pearson Correlation, and Spearman's Correlation Coefficient. The result showed that students were connected with social media platforms on a daily basis, most preferably with Facebook and YouTube. In terms of sharing or commenting on a post that was not completely accurate, almost half of the respondents are habituated with the aim of doing so. Although the basic familiarity rated by students themselves with the problematic information is nearly satisfactory, the capacity to recognize this information whenever it occurred in hands-on tasks was very low. There is a positive correlation among gender, study level, and frequency of using Internet and social media with familiarity with misinformation, disinformation, fake news, rumor, and malinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can information literacy (IL) skills be improved during one semester? The proliferation of information disorders—fabricated stories, misleading content, clickbait—requires skills beyond using a fake-news checklist. Students in an introductory political science course were asked to analyze a news story every week as a course objective to increase IL. Thirty sections of American Government & Politics were given versions of an assignment eventually named "News Analysis." Class averages did not improve over time; instead, most semesters saw a negative correlation between the number of iterations of the assignment and the average class score. The instructor changed tactics multiple times to address these shortcomings, but deficiencies in IL reflected both instructor failure and systemic problems in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used scoping review as an approach to examine and determine the extent of studies undertaken in civic engagement roles of libraries and librarians in times of rapid growth of information disorders in the social media environment. The research identified concepts, and methods by providing a systematic examination of academic and scientific literature published in the field. The scoping review was prepared based on Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis. After careful synthesis, a total of 22 documents were analyzed, and found that most research done in this area apply qualitative methods. The main concepts captured revolve around democracy, public sphere, civic engagement, and critical literacy. It is hoped that this scoping review provides a background understanding of the related concepts that appeared in this study. This study helps Library and Information Science (LIS) educators and librarians to discuss and collaborate in strengthening the practice of critical and information literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades, a social dimension of sustainability has been established. Much like the environment, society also suffers from forms of pollution that pose a threat to community development. The phenomenon of information disorders, commonly referred to as fake news (FNs), represents an emblematic case of pollution of public discourse. This is particularly evident in the hybrid media ecosystem, where individuals construct their own information pathways in response to a process of deep mediatization. Considering this scenario, especially in the Italian context, research was conducted to investigate the impact of fake news on social sustainability. The survey was constructed around four research areas: sociodemographic factors, news consumption patterns, information disorders, and personal values. A non-probabilistic sample of the Italian population was drawn, totaling n = 399 individuals distributed throughout the country. The responses were analyzed using both single-variate and multivariate analyses. Specifically, a Social Sustainability Index (SSI) was synthesized from the analysis of sustainability indicators. This index revealed four levels of different behaviors concerning media use, political orientations, and especially, belief in fake news. Thus, a link seems to emerge between sustainability and the ability to inhabit the communication ecosystem properly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brisky transformation of the internet and the rise of digital technologies have been causing a deep impact on the media and in the ways audiences access, consume and participate. Although in this era information is closer and more available to citizens, concerns have been raised regarding 1) the quality of the information disseminated by digital platforms, 2) the impacts it may have on democracies and 3) the urgency of promoting citizens' MIL competencies. Disseminating unverified content can pose threats towards the status of the Internet as a space for free and informative debate, and as a tool for social inclusion. Portugal is pointed out as the second European country where citizens are most concerned about authenticity and validity of information (Newman et al., 2020). However data also shows that mechanisms of disinformation are quite participated by them. In this way, it becomes relevant to understand how the various sectors of society have been promoting the empowerment of citizens, and their resilience and competence toward information disorder. Within the scope of the project Read Twice, the team carried out a mapping of initiatives focused on tackling disinformation. The aim was to identify good practices and outline Portugal's experience concerning this issue. After an initial listing of activities (N=20) promoted over the last 13 years, the team identified 3 Top Initiatives and eleven Best Practices. Overall results suggest that media literacy has been in the spotlight in the Portuguese context since the 1980s. There is also a tendency for media literacy initiatives to engage target audiences through active, participatory and creative approaches. However, and although the longest-running activity dates from the late 1980s, the initiatives identified are limited to a specific timeframe, suggesting that there is a lack of continuity repeatedly emphasised in the research (Jorge et al., 2014; Brites et al., 2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dixit. Comunicación, Profesión, Conocimiento is the property of Universidad Catolica del Uruguay Damaso Antonio Larranaga and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims to investigate how Italian audiences received and perceived data-driven television news during the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, the logic and practices of creating and consuming television journalism were disrupted by the pandemic emergency. The paper presents the results of research carried out as part of a wider project titled "The Social Effects of Fake News" which was conducted from 2018 to 2022 within the CoRiS department of Sapienza University of Rome. The research project was reshaped in 2020, to understand the effects of what has been called "information disorder" in the areas of health, medicine, and science at a time when, together with the pandemic, an "infodemic" also emerged.¹ We use Wardle and Derakhshan's notion of "information disorder" as presented in their Council of Europe report.². The results of the survey research we conducted show a surprising paradox. We found an interesting pattern of receiving and using information content based on data, in which users trust those who produce and validate certain data and at the same time do not believe that same data. This pattern of use indicates a particular approach to dealing with news among the Italian public. We have labelled it "know-it-all." This article aims to deepen the understanding of this paradox of trust in experts but not in the data they deliver and how journalistic practice should deal with this conundrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Comunicação Midiática is the property of Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Information disorder involves wide-ranging content that challenges democratic rules and social harmony. Pseudo-media that relies on conspiracy theories and misleading versions of the social reality contribute to feeding the disinformation ecosystem by reinforcing biased messages with expressive patterns and polarising practices. This article focuses on the content published (N = 1,396) by seven far-right wing Spanish pseudo-media. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, it analyses headlines, types of text and sources, as well as the distortion strategies of journalistic conventions. Results show that the emotional component is expressed by means of polarised headlines that rely on clickbait to gain attention and build a particular jargon, exacerbated by disinformation and populist practices. The absolute dependence of conspicuous headlines is evidenced by the limited resources of pseudo-media, whose production lies in a mix of opinion text and the processing of online content. Plagiarism from mainstream—mainly conservative—media, social networks and website siblings fuel these outlets that play the role of the ambiguity, mimicking journalistic conventions and mocking them by means of disinformation practices, with a particular focus on reframing social issues, progressive policies and measures to manage the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If Plato’s allegory of information trouble occurred within a torchlit cave, the scale and scope of technical developments in information and communication technologies have not superseded his perennial concerns. Drawing from the sociology of knowledge and objectivity in news, in this article, I examine a set of cases of contested information within American communication. Beyond reductionist approaches to objectivity and falsehood in information, these cases bring to light political and cultural contestation over the presentation, omission, and selection of information, as well as value in speculative information. Taken together, these highlight the need for a framework to cover a range of informational issues. The proposed meta-classification of information’s Other opens an analytical space not only to account for today’s alleged information disorder, but also to address long-standing concerns with information order.

Digital false information is a global problem and the European Union (EU) has taken profound actions to counter it. However, from an academic perspective the United States has attracted particular attention. This article aims at mapping the current state of academic inquiry into false information at scale in the EU across fields. Systematic filtering of academic contributions resulted in the identification of 93 papers. We found that Italy is the most frequently studied country, and the country of affiliation for most contributing authors. The fields that are best represented are computer science and information studies, followed by social science, communication, and media studies. Based on the review, we call for (1) a greater focus on cross-platform studies; (2) resampling of similar events, such as elections, to detect reoccurring patterns; and (3) longitudinal studies across events to detect similarities, for instance, in who spreads misinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As COVID-19 raged through the United States, Americans were inundated with messages from multiple and competing sources, some based on political ideologies, fueled by misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation via cable and social media. This study uses the IDEA model for effective instructional risk and crisis communication to examine the role of state governors in encouraging compliance with public health recommendations. It examines the relationships between messages sent in high- and low-compliance states, between state compliance levels and tendencies in public attitudes, and between messages sent and resident decisions about COVID-19 compliance. We analyzed press release messages from governors of five states with high immigrant populations and surveyed the public in these states to examine compliance rates regarding COVID-19 protective actions. Findings illustrate that perceived source credibility is critical to behavioral compliance regardless of message content adherence and that political ideology may become a competing narrative and may influence resident decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the call for papers for this issue was made a few months ago, disinformation literacy to defend our democracies was already seen as having great importance. Today, when hybrid warfare (of which information disorder is a key part) is being waged, with deaths and destruction inflicted on European soil, it is clearly not only important but also urgent. Our democracies and freedoms are at stake. In a scenario where, on the one hand, labels (“audience,” “prosumers,” “media,” “fake news,” “post-truth”) and on the other hand, the realities that these labels hide are changing and are modified so quickly, different institutions that structure the democratic societies must converge in the construction of effective information literacy strategies. Schools and the entire formal education system must be the first, of course. Universities must lead this fight, combining their teaching and research mission with their work relating to dissemination and social awareness, especially from communication studies and colleges of journalism. In parallel to educational and research institutions, media also play a crucial role in promoting (dis)information literacy. As media educators, they should not only serve the mercantilist objective of retaining their clientele but also uphold their democratic responsibility to help instill a sense of civic awareness in citizens.

The paper presents and evaluates an approach based on Rough Set Theory, and some variants and extensions of this theory, to analyze phenomena related to Information Disorder. The main concepts and constructs of Rough Set Theory, such as lower and upper approximations of a target set, indiscernibility and neighborhood binary relations, are used to model and reason on groups of social media users and sets of information that circulate in the social media. Information theoretic measures, such as roughness and entropy, are used to evaluate two concepts, Complexity and Milestone, that have been borrowed by system theory and contextualized for Information Disorder. The novelty of the results presented in this paper relates to the adoption of Rough Set Theory constructs and operators in this new and unexplored field of investigation and, specifically, to model key elements of Information Disorder, such as the message and the interpreters, and reason on the evolutionary dynamics of these elements. The added value of using these measures is an increase in the ability to interpret the effects of Information Disorder, due to the circulation of news, as the ratio between the cardinality of lower and upper approximations of a Rough Set, cardinality variations of parts, increase in their fragmentation or cohesion. Such improved interpretative ability can be beneficial to social media analysts and providers. Four algorithms based on Rough Set Theory and some variants or extensions are used to evaluate the results in a case study built with real data used to contrast disinformation for COVID-19. The achieved results allow to understand the superiority of the approaches based on Fuzzy Rough Sets for the interpretation of our phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the call for papers for this issue was made a few months ago, disinformation literacy to defend our democracies was already seen as having great importance. Today, when hybrid warfare (of which information disorder is a key part) is being waged, with deaths and destruction inflicted on European soil, it is clearly not only important but also urgent. Our democ‐ racies and freedoms are at stake. In a scenario where, on the one hand, labels (“audience,” “prosumers,” “media,” “fake news,” “post‐truth”) and on the other hand, the realities that these labels hide are changing and are modified so quickly, different institutions that structure the democratic societies must converge in the construction of effective information literacy strategies. Schools and the entire formal education system must be the first, of course. Universities must lead this fight, combining their teaching and research mission with their work relating to dissemination and social awareness, espe‐ cially from communication studies and colleges of journalism. In parallel to educational and research institutions, media also play a crucial role in promoting (dis)information literacy. As media educators, they should not only serve the mer‐ cantilist objective of retaining their clientele but also uphold their democratic responsibility to help instill a sense of civic awareness in citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiplicity of infospheres in a country, especially in those with a significant proportion of language minorities, creates polarization and distrust towards state institutions. This article addresses the problem by exploring the attitudes of Estonia’s Russian-speaking minority towards news media content regarding fake news and information disorder. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with Russian-speakers living in Estonia (N=29), using stimulus materials to induce reactions related to elements of trust in the materials. The results showed that the interviewees have—diverse media preferences, a critical eye for the news, more trust in Estonia’s Russian-language media, and are quite capable of recognizing fake news and information disorder. The study challenges the view that Estonia’s Russian-speaking minority lives in the isolated infosphere of Russia. The article argues that more attention should be drawn to information quality in the news aimed at this language minority audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online social networks (OSNs) are rapidly growing and have become a huge source of all kinds of global and local news for millions of users. However, OSNs are a double-edged sword. Although the great advantages they offer such as unlimited easy communication and instant news and information, they can also have many disadvantages and issues. One of their major challenging issues is the spread of fake news. Fake news identification is still a complex unresolved issue. Furthermore, fake news detection on OSNs presents unique characteristics and challenges that make finding a solution anything but trivial. On the other hand, artificial intelligence (AI) approaches are still incapable of overcoming this challenging problem. To make matters worse, AI techniques such as machine learning and deep learning are leveraged to deceive people by creating and disseminating fake content. Consequently, automatic fake news detection remains a huge challenge, primarily because the content is designed in a way to closely resemble the truth, and it is often hard to determine its veracity by AI alone without additional information from third parties. This work aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of fake news research as well as a fundamental review of existing approaches used to detect and prevent fake news from spreading via OSNs. We present the research problem and the existing challenges, discuss the state of the art in existing approaches for fake news detection, and point out the future research directions in tackling the challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donald Trump's term as President of the United States was marked by, among others: nationalism,populism, rejection of democracy, political arbitrariness, exclusivity towards racial and nationalminorities, xenophobia expressed towards immigrants, but also close (Mexicans) and distant peoples(Chinese), forcing divisions in American society, misogyny, spreading misinformation in all spheresand especially during the pandemic, belittling the attitude towards intellectuals, and especially constantlycalling out and insulting journalists. Injustice towards media houses and journalists did not stop duringthe entire term of Donald Trump, who called them 'fake news media' and 'enemy of the people, thusturning the public against them and creating big problems for them, which resulted in open violenceduring police protests. the assassination of African-American George Floyd, but also in the attack onCapitol Hill. All of these terms, along with some other features of his rule in domestic and foreign policy,are encompassed by a common denominator called ‘trumpism’. Although he was defeated in 2020presidential election, his legacy remained significantly present in American society, but also outside it- on the American and Asian continents, but also in Europe, and especially in the Balkans. Usingqualitative content analysis and comparative analysis of Donald Trump's communication model,especially in his relationship with political opponents, media houses and journalists, and thethe communication model of Balkan politicians, this paper deals with information and communicationmatrices that have been very successfully accepted and perfected by some politicians. Balkans througha special review of the spread of 'information disorder' in its three manifestations - misinformation,misinformation, and misinformation

Hate speech is very present in digital communicative ecosystems; although it does not originate in online communication, certainly the speed and pervasiveness of social media and digital platforms have played an important role in the processes of establishing such communicative practices. However, it is impossible to understand hate speech without placing it in the broader framework of information disorder and its relationship with the emergence of the platform society. This essay relates online hate speech to the practices of information disorder, which, moreover, are increasingly characterised as systemic and functional to the fragmentation of the public sphere. The essay also illustrates how manipulative dynamics not only feed the information disorder but tend to transform it into a new disinformation order, moreover functional to the information system at the time of neoliberal rationality. This is also why research on hate speech and the fight against online hatred become indispensable elements in the defence of democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information disorder and digital media affordances challenge informed citizenship as an ideal and in practice. While scholars have attempted to adapt the normative ideal to contemporary changes and challenges by introducing new metaphors and normative benchmarks, this study investigates citizens' ideals and practices of informed citizenship by deploying the concept of citizenship vocabularies. Drawing on interviews with citizens from different information environments--Germany and Serbia--we offer a conceptual outline of informed citizenship as an individual and collective social effort. Our findings illustrate the role of the information environment in shaping citizenship vocabularies. We advance the idea of informed citizenship as a relational practice, arguing for a social ontological approach to theorizing informed citizenship today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surge in the spread of fake news after a terror attack such as the 2018 Surabaya bombings has been observed in recent times. It was clear that the spread of fake news (i.e., information disorder [ID]) can amplify the social impact and consequences of a terror attack on the local community. However, research on the prevalence of ID in connection to a terror incident is not well-studied in Southeast Asia (SEA). To address this gap systematically, this study describes an approach taken to study this nexus between the spread of ID in connection to a terror attack. By drawing on the Global Terrorism Database and manual searches, a case study bank of 39 terror incidents with instances of ID in SEA from 2015 to 2019 was created through the use of a mix of automated and human workflows. This exploratory study sought to document the kinds of ID that emerged in English language media after a terror incident in SEA and to identify implications for the field of ID as well as terrorism [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information disorder is problematic in health because it can limit effective treatment options and preventive measures. Interviews were conducted to understand the current policies and practices better. The qualitative analysis resulted in three broad thematic areas, with 115 codes and 12 code groups. Since Sri Lanka is a low- to middle-income country, optimising available resources is crucial; alternative cost-free tools and freely accessible international standards and guidelines can be customised to meet the country's needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As elsewhere in the world, Arab news websites depend on revenue streams built on the commercialization of social media platforms. Reliance on these platforms has created a major structural shift in news production, distribution and monetization, which has triggered serious concerns about fake news, misinformation and quality journalism. This paper investigates the extent to which four online-only news websites abide by quality journalism in the context of increasing platformization of digital news production. We use qualitative document analysis to systematically analyse the contents of a representative sample from four news websites from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning and deep learning models are increasingly susceptible to adversarial attacks, particularly in critical areas like cybersecurity and Information Disorder. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of model Robustness against such attacks across key tasks well-assessed in Information Disorder literature: Toxic Speech Detection, Sentiment Analysis, Propaganda Detection, and Hate Speech Detection. Rigorous experiments conducted across 13 models and 12 diverse datasets highlight significant vulnerabilities. The methodological framework implements adversarial attacks that strategically manipulates model inputs based on keyword significance, identified using the LIME method, an advanced explainable AI technique. The evaluation measures Robustness primarily through accuracy of the models and attack success rates. The experiments reveal that current models display inconsistent resistance to adversarial manipulations, underscoring an urgent need for developing more sophisticated defensive strategies. The study sheds light on the critical weaknesses in existing models and charts a course for future research to fortify AI resilience against evolving cyber threats. The findings advocate for a paradigm shift in model training and development to prioritize adversarial Robustness, ensuring that AI systems are equipped to handle real-world adversarial scenarios effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically analyses the effects of predatory publishing as a major contributor to misinformation and disinformation amongst academicians and learners in developing countries. The paper notes that predatory publishing poses a major hindrance in the struggles to enhance academic excellence. This paper established that predatory publishing has great consequences in the spread of misinformation and disinformation amongst academicians and Learners in Developing Countries. Some of the reasons that necessitate the increase in predatory publishing in developing countries are; the lack of proper policies or guidance on where research articles should or should not be published, the failure to embrace open access initiatives for visibility and dissemination of research outputs so as to discourage academic malpractice and unethical behaviors, lack of funds, poor or limited information literacy among other factors. The paper is unique in that it comprehensively analyses the concept of predatory journals with misinformation and disinformation in academic circles in the developing world, putting into consideration that most academic staff or researchers assume that whatever is on the web is genuine and absolute true information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misinformation on social media is a major problem facing our society. The experience deriving from use does not guarantee success in identifying false information. This study seeks to determine whether an active role in social media impacts on informational skills. For this purpose, we designed a survey that was administered to 756 young people between 16 and 26 years of age from different educational levels. The results show a profile of creative users who participate in generating their own content and sharing their recommendations openly, as opposed to another profile, the “spectators”, focused on entertainment and interaction. The creator profile is the variable that most contributes to reporting fake news on social media. When contrasting information, educational level is the most relevant aspect, although academic results and creator users also represent a significant contribution. Greater trust in the sources found on social media identifies the active profile, while distrust is associated with the spectators. We recommend that media education puts in place actions intended to recuperate trust in social media, so that they can be utilized critically, encouraging active, not reactive use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Comunicar (English Edition) is the property of Oxbridge Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Fake news is a disturbing phenomenon that has become widespread due to its easy online dissemination. The spread of fake news should be stopped to protect human rights, peace and harmony in society. Fighting the spread of fake news requires a clear understanding of its nature and practical tools and techniques for fact-checking. This article describes the results of a case study that explored the conceptual understanding of fake news, the characteristics and categories of fake news, and the tools and techniques to eliminate it, highlighting its prevalence as an emerging challenge to the well-being of people and nations. It emphasises the high vigilance towards fake news that Internet and social media users must exercise to end its effects on society. Moreover, scientific studies are recommended to explore the depth of this menace and government policies to curb it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the one hand, fast social media and internet evolution has brought opportunities to the development of the organic food industry. On the other hand, the excessive utilization of social media and internet has also exerted some negative effects on consumers in terms of information disorder and hindered the industrial progression of organic foods. This study aimed to probe into the relationships between organic food information uncertainty, information search anxiety, information overload and purchase behavior under the mediating role of attitude and the moderating role of involvement, introducing the concept of information disorder in the context of this issue. The data (cross-sectional) of 620 organic food consumers in Jiangxi Province, China were subjected to SEM (structural equation modeling). The results showed that organic food information uncertainty and information search anxiety significantly affected attitude, and attitude had a positive impact on purchase behavior. In addition, attitude significantly mediated the effects of organic food information uncertainty and information search anxiety on purchase behavior. Moreover, the indirect relationship between organic food information uncertainty and purchase behavior was moderated by involvement.

We are facing more and more frequently historical informations that does not reflect historians’ reconstructions, or that just get close to them. This kind of informations, along with others concerning current affairs, or scientific discoveries, contribute to plump a context of featured by «information disorder». Why are they spread? What is the purpose of those who disseminate this type of informations? Is «information disorder» a characteristic feature of our age or, during the twentieth century, such phenomena are identifiable? I will try to answer these questions in this article.

It was expected that the increasing coverage of EU affairs in national public spheres would lead to a greater sense of European belonging. The Internet was expected to foster this process. However, these expectations do not square with the current political climate of identity politics and the revitalisation of nationalism. How can this incongruence between theory and reality be understood? An intervening variable has added an unpredictability to the mix: information disorder. It is our view that this theory needs revising to include other intervening variables such as social media and information disorder. In this article, we argue that the current dynamic of Europeanised political communication is likely to compromise the civic and vertical components of EU-identity.

Purpose. The aim of this research is to determine the attitudes and experiences of librarians employed in public libraries about the role of public libraries in dealing with information disorder and COVID-19 disinfodemic. Approach/methodology/design. For the purposes of the research, an online questionnaire with closed and open questions was used. The questionnaire was distributed to all Croatian public libraries. Findings. The results of the research have shown that the respondents, librarians employed in public libraries, are overwhelmingly interested in the information disorder issues and are open to additional education. However, almost half of the respondents rated their competencies for organizing and implementing a disinformation education program as low. The vast majority of respondents agree with the statement that public libraries should get involved and can greatly contribute to dealing with information disorder, but the attitudes about specific ways and responsibilities in dealing with information disorder show discrepancies. The respondents' opinions on the key obstacles to involving public libraries in dealing with the information disorder point to fifteen specific problems, including librarians' lack of education, the desire to preserve the perception of the library as an ideologically neutral place, lack of user interest, and various infrastructural problems. Originality/value. This paper presents attitudes of the librarians in the Republic of Croatia on the role of public libraries in the information disorder. The paper raises questions about the challenges of active involvement of public libraries in countering information disorder, among which are the professional competencies of librarians and ethical principles of providing information services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main question discussed in this article is: how can young people, as empirical experts, inform methodologies in studying digital media literacy? The discussion is rooted in a study based on youth consultation organized in Finland in May 2021. The youth consultation was organised to help researchers of the European ySKILLS project from three countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, and Finland) to plan a study on disinformation, conducted in the autumn of the same year. The youth consultation consisted of two parts: an online survey used as a qualitative research tool and an open semi-structured discussion. The results of the youth consultation were used to provide recommendations to researchers in the ySKILLS research project. Particularly useful was information on young people's lack of understanding of algorithm-based communication and commercialisation on social media, which led to suggestions for additional thematic questions for the ySKILLS study. Overall, the findings suggested that young people could serve as empirical experts and advisors, particularly during the planning stages of research on the use of digital media to address not only questions related to digital media content but also to digital media infrastructure. The results suggested the importance of considering the next step in cooperation with youth in participatory research, such as co-designing research methods for the digital future and consulting young people as experts in the proposal phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social Sciences & Humanities Studies / Društvene i Humanističke Studije (DHS) is the property of Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Tuzla and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)